A Tale of Two Awkward Teenagers
by Queen What's-Her-Face
Summary: Marinette works on a dress for Nino's birthday party, and draws inspiration from Chat Noir. Probably cute/awkward romance. I don't know exactly where this is going, but there aren't enough Ladrien stories, so we'll see if I can work that in somewhere in here...
1. Chapter 1

_**Hi guys,**_

 _ **This is just something I wrote while putting off one of my other stories, so please enjoy!**_

* * *

Marinette sighed, and taped her graphite pencil absentmindedly against her spiral bound sketchbook. She was having a serious case of designer's block, and groaned in frustration as the hands of her clock slowly but surely inched forward _. Why can't I figure out a one-of-a-kind, spectacular, jaw-dropping-yet-casual dress design for Nino's birthday party?_ Marinette thought to herself, quickly plotting something down, and just as quickly erasing it. Marinette had known Nino for ages, but it wasn't until this school year that they became friends. But _he_ wasn't exactly the reason why she was panicking.

 _Not even close, well maybe-I mean, Nino's his best friend and everything,_ Marinette rambled on silently as she contemplated her design, or the lack of design on her paper was more like it.

The one-and-only _Adrien Agreste_ was going to the party as well, and this was her chance to talk to him without Chloe buzzing around Adrien at all times. Not that Marinette would actually _talk_ to him, but maybe-just maybe-he would see her in her hypothetical awe-inspiring dress, and propose to her the next day at school. She would say yes-of course-and her dream of being the proud mother of Adrien's hamster would finally come true. All of these thoughts floated around in Marinette's head as she searched for inspiration for her dress.

"Oh, Marinette," Tikki's high pitched voice floated over Marinette's pink-clad shoulder, "You really are putting too much pressure into this design! You should follow your heart, and just wear whatever you feel beautiful in."

Marinette smiled and looked over at her kwami.

"You're right, Tikki," she sighed, "as per usual!"

Marinette thought for a moment, then another, when suddenly, an idea struck her.

"Oh Tikki," she grinned confidently, "this will be-dare I say it? _Purr_ fect!"

Her hand flying wildly across her sketchbook page, a sleeveless black trapeze dress came to life. Marinette smiled, and added a bright, emerald green peter pan collar to the design. "Something's missing," she mumbled, and sat back in her desk chair, tapping both her foot and her chin at the same time. "Of course," she giggled, and added the finishing touch; a golden bell at the collar of her dress.

* * *

Hours later, Marinette finished pinning her black material together. "It should be done just in time for Nino's party! Why did you choose this design, Marinette?" Tikki exclaimed, spinning around Marinette's room excitedly.

"Being Ladybug means so much to me," Marinette said, putting her pin cushion back in its little box, and back on its shelf, "but I'm afraid people will recognize me if I run around in a red and black polka dotted dress." She gathered the remainders of her pins, "So I figured drawing inspiration from Chat Noir would be just as good of a representation of the times I enjoy the most."

Marinette would never admit it, but her time with Chat was special, even if she had to deal with his countless puns and flirting. "Silly kitty," she murmured as she tucked the last of her fabrics back where they belonged.

However, sometimes Marinette wondered. She wondered if she didn't have a soul-consuming crush on Adrien, and if she didn't need to always have her head in the game as Ladybug, if maybe Chat Noir could be more than a friend. But Marinette tucked that thought away like she did the bolts of chiffon. Besides, Chat didn't _really_ like Ladybug…right?

Besides, they were partners.

Besides, she needed to focus on this dress to impress Adrien. He was sure to know high end couture, being the son of Gabriel Agreste and all, so Marinette needed this dress to look flawless. Rubbing her big bluebell eyes, she yawned and stretched her arms out. "Tikki, why don't we get some rest," Marinette said sluggishly, "if I'm going to sew all day tomorrow, I'm going to need some rest."

"That's a good idea, Marinette," Tikki said kindly, "I'm sure tomorrow will be productive!"

Marinette smiled, and headed to her wardrobe. Pulling out pink polka dotted pajamas, she took out her pig tails and shook out her dark hair. _This may be one of my best designs yet_ , Marinette mused as she turned off her bedroom lights and burrowed under her covers. _Besides, if_ I _feel beautiful, who's to tell me I'm not?_ Marinette wondered as she drifted off to sleep

 _I've got nothing to worry about._

 _Nothing at all._

And with that final thought, Marinette fell asleep.

* * *

 _ **And that concludes my first chapter in my hopefully well-received, and well-liked Miraculous fanfiction. I hope that you leave a review, because it would really make my day/night/everything in between!**_

 _ **Still trying to come up with a sign off thing.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hi guys,**_

 _ **I'd like to start by saying thank you to my wonderful readers, and especially the one's who have already reviewed my story. Everything you say is taken into consideration, and I'll see if I can work in some of your suggestions. (I've only had...one? so far, so it shouldn't be too hard)**_

 _ **This chapter isn't quite as light hearted, but I really like it...**_

 _ **so...**_

 _ **Yeah. Enjoy!**_

* * *

Adrien sighed, and slowly scrolled down the home page of the Ladyblog. He scoffed at the headlines as his finger tapped the down arrow on his wireless keyboard. Glancing at the time, Adrien sighed once again. Nino's party would start in exactly three hours and twelve minutes, and Adrien was under house arrest. _Not really, but I might as well be,_ he thought bitterly as he spun around in his desk chair.

"What's the big deal, kid?" Plagg yawned, and floated up to Adrien's left shoulder, "it's not like there would have been camembert there anyways. Cut your losses, and run and get me some cheese."

Adrien glared at his kwami. Plagg never seemed to understand anything other than camembert, and the fine art of consuming it. Running a hand through his golden hair, Adrien had never felt so lonely before in his life.

It wasn't just the fact that he would miss out on his best friend's birthday part. It was mostly that, even though Nino knew that the odds of Adrien being able to make it were next to none, Nino had still invited him to the party. When Adrien attempted to bring the party up to Nathalie the other morning, she had curtly told him that, in preparation for an upcoming shoot, he was not to be permitted to leave the house unless it was for school, or an extracurricular activity. Adrien knew that there wasn't really any point in arguing, his father was cold and once his mind was made up, there was no changing it.

Even for his son's own happiness.

So Adrien sat on his desk chair, chin propped up on the back rest, legs splayed out on either side, and spun around in countless circles.

 _Deflated, I'm deflated like Chloe's hair on a windy day,_ Adrien groaned to himself. The fact that his only company was a cheese-loving kwami certainly did not cheer him up. In fact, Plagg had gone right back to napping on one of Adrien's throw pillows currently scattered on his floor. _I wonder If Ladybug's kwami is as standoffish as mine…_

Ladybug.

Probably the only person in Paris, probably in the whole world for all he knew, that genuinely looked out for him and would stand by him no matter what. He wished so desperately that he could count his mother on that list, but she was gone now, and left Adrien no explanations as to why. Maybe that was why he adored Ladybug so much-she had a heart of gold.

 _"_ _Adrien_!"

He could practically hear Ladybugs voice call out to him. He had only met her as Adrien a handful of times, but to hear her say _his_ name, that was truly something else. Something special. She made him feel specia-

 _"_ _Adrien!"_

He moaned, and abruptly stood up from his chair. "Even when she's not here, I can still hear her voice float over me," Adrien wailed and dramatically flopped over onto the floor. "What I wouldn't give to tell her how much she really means to me!"

"Well kid, it's your lucky day," Plagg said, eyes twinkling, and nodded his head toward Adrien's large glass windows. Adrien's head shot up from where it was resting on his carpeted floor. Much to his dismay and distress, not to mention surprise, Ladybug perched on his windowsill.

Her face had a lightly amused expression, the light dancing in her eyes matched Plagg's, but Adrien didn't mind it in the eyes of his lady. Quickly, he brushed himself off, stood up with as much dignity as he could muster, and marched over to his window. Opening the pane of glass, Adrien grinned sheepishly, "Ladybug, it's so nice to see you-is everything alright?" He added the last part worriedly, fearing that he might have to use the shower again as an excuse to transform into Chat Noir.

"Oh, I actually came to check on you," Ladybug said kindly and slipped into his rather large bedroom. "I was in the neighborhood, and I saw you looking upset. I don't know if you know this or not, but Akumas feed off of negative emotions, and I didn't want you to be their next target."

Adrien widened his eyes, like he did during photo shoots where he was supposed to be surprised. "That makes so much sense, about the akumas, I mean. Thanks for checking in on me."

He stood aside, allowing Ladybug to walk around his room. With a blush, he realized that the Ladyblog was still up on his computer monitors. "So, what's got you feeling down, Adrien?" Ladybug asked as she sat down on his plush carpet.

"Well, you see my friend, Nino, is having his birthday party in a little less than three hours. And I'm not exactly allowed to go, because I apparently need to rest for a pretty big photoshoot in Cannes tomorrow," Adrien said simply. He wasn't used to telling anyone about how he felt, so he nervously plucked the hem of his white button down. "It's just-I may be kind of famous and all, but I don't really have the freedom to explore what makes me happy, like hanging out with friends. Well, at least I hope they're my friends."

Ladybug stared at him for a moment, stood up, and held out her hand. "Why don't I give you a lift to the party? I can come back when it's over, and your father doesn't need to know," she asked softly, and smiled when Adrien firmly laced his fingers in hers.

"Sounds great, My La-" Adrien coughed, panicking at his blunder, "my late streak might finally come to an end, seeing as we'd arrive several hours early.

"Oh, right," Ladybug smiled, oblivious to Adrien's moment of terror, much to his relief.

"Would you like something to drink while we wait?" He asked, and she nodded her head.

And with that, their afternoon together had begun.

* * *

 _ **And that's a wrap.**_

 _ **I'll see you next time, and I hope this brought a smile to your face. Yes/no/maybe so?**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hi guys,**_

 _ **Thanks so much for your wonderful suggestions! Don't worry, I'll fit them in-just not in the next handfuls of chapters. But I always like to hear from you! Your support and encouragement is so much more than I ever though I would receive through this story.**_

* * *

Marinette really couldn't believe the afternoon she was having. She was spending the afternoon with _Adrien_! Her brain could hardly process this information, but with being Ladybug, she needed to keep herself calm. However, once Adrien left the room, her whole demeanor changed. Marinette's mouth sagged open and her eyes widened, her face losing all traces of composer. Bringing both hands up to her forehead, she paced back and forth across Adrien's plush carpet. She tried to make sense of everything he had just shared with her in the past two-and-a-half hours. But despite everything Adrien had told her, one thing stuck out in her overwhelmed mind: Adrien had confided in her.

"Ah…He…A-Adrien…Wow-I never would have…wow…" she had never really understood exactly how much of the time Adrien was alone, and a wave of guilt crashed over her. _What if Adrien thought that I, Marinette-not Ladybug, avoided him because I was…_ Marinette's thoughts trailed off, she couldn't find any other scenario as to why she might avoid him.

As much as she hated to admit it, her crush on Adrien was anything but covert. As much as she adored the boy, he was the single most oblivious person she knew. As much as she wanted to tell him how she felt, she just couldn't muster the courage to do so as Marinette, not the confident Ladybug that Paris loved.

Marinette scrunched her fingers into the dark bangs that swept across her forehead. She was in the middle of frantically searching her memories to see if she did anything to make him think he offended her. The gum incident maybe? _But he gave me his umbrella afterwards, and we had a moment…Right?_ Marinette thought, panicking. She was about to overanalyze every encounter she had ever had with Adrien, when her thoughts were cut off by Adrien's voice snapping out of his closed bathroom door.

"PLAGG!" Adrien's voice came again, and Marinette ran over to the large bathroom door, and pressed her ear to the smooth wood.

"Adrien, are you okay in there?" Marinette asked, her voice raising an octave, much to her chagrin.

"I-uh-said…Flag -FLAG! That's right!" Adrien cried out, and she heard a number of crashes, and she winced.

Marinette jumped back as Adrien threw the bathroom door open. Her comprehension of reality faltered, because she wasn't sure it was even humanly possible to look so glorious. Adrien, although a bit frazzled, stood before Marinette clad in dark grey jeans, a red V-neck, and a black leather jacket. Any questions Marinette might have had regarding Adrien's outburst were completely forgotten as he ran his hand through his perfectly-in-place hair.

"You look very nice, Adrien," she said, her Ladybug confidence kicking back in. At her words, a blush crept across his face like how Chat Noir crept across the Paris skyline at night. "T-thanks Ladybug," he stammered, an embarrassed grin fixed on his face. "I'm sure you'll be the best dressed at the party," Marinette said as she turned around to walk to the window that she had come in through. If she had only looked over her shoulder, she might have caught Adrien biting his lip, jumping up and down, and flailing his arms in excitement. But she didn't, a thing that Adrien was most grateful for. But just as soon as he had a moment of utter joy, he regained his composure as Marinette turned around. "Well my la-Ladybug, there's this girl in my class, Marinette, and I'm almost positive that she'll out-dress us all," Adrien smiled.

Marinette's heart almost stopped.

Adrien. Had. Just. (Indirectly). Complemented. Her.

She was sure that her face was flushed a color that rivaled the red of her magical suit. "Oh, the girl who helped Chat Noir take down the Evillustrator-I remember her," she said in a voice she hoped conveyed nonchalance, "she's pretty brave."

"She really is," Adrien said kindly.

"O-okay! Let's get you to Nino's party! I'll swing by around 10:00 p.m. sharp to take you home, so make sure you behave yourself," Marinette grinned and offered out her arm.

And with that, Adrien latched onto Marinette's arm, and the couple swing out of his window.

* * *

 _ **And that's a wrap...on that chapter. Up next: Something involving...wait-I'm going to make you wait until (hopefully) tomorrow.**_

 _ **Best wishes.**_

 _ **P.S. Reviews are appreciated, but not mandatory for an update.**_

 _ **P.P.S. To the people who've told me that my story had made them smile: I am so very glad to make someone smile. It makes ME smile, which isn't something I normally do. Genuinely, that is. So thank you.**_

 _ **P.P.P.S. I should really stop updating at one a.m.**_

 _ **Oh well.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hi guys,**_

 _ **I'd like to thank my reviews who caught a mistake that I made. I'm a tiny bit embarrassed, but thankful that you told me. Anywho, here's the next chapter.**_

 _ **Happy reading!**_

* * *

Adrien really couldn't believe the afternoon he was having. Ladybug- _LADYBUG_ -came to visit, and even gave him a lift to the party. Of course, transforming into Chat Noir would have been easier, that is if Plagg would cooperate for once. Because this wasn't a life or death situation, he would have felt bad about transforming and using up all of his kwami's energy. _He so doesn't deserve me,_ Adrien thought, smiling softly. Beneath his annoyance at Plagg, there was a deep rooted fondness for his kwami. Not that he would ever admit it, of course.

Making his way down from the plaza's roof, the one that Ladybug had dropped him off at, Adrien could hear the upbeat EDM music pounding out of the arcade below. He recognized the song as one of Nino's favorites. Reaching the ground floor, he fixed his hair, and flipped his leather jacket's collar up. In the evening light, in the heart of Paris, he was careful as to avoid recognition from the pedestrians on the street. He stopped walking in front of the arcade's entrance, and pulled the door open.

Laughter flooded his senses, and Adrien looked around in wonder. Closing the door behind him, he walked uncertainly through the arcade, looking around and seeing his classmates playing air hockey and other games he couldn't name.

"Adrian! You made it! That's awesome, man!" Nino called out, waving his arm to catch Adrien's attention. Adrien grinned and jogged over to Nino and gave him a quick hug. "Thanks for inviting me, Nino!"

"No problem, dude," Nino grinned, clapping his hand on Adrien's shoulder.

"Did you get your present? I didn't know if I could make it, so I sent it to your house," Adrien asked, hoping that Nino got it on time.

"Seriously, dude, you didn't need to get me a new turntable! Of course I'm not complaining," Nino said cheekily, and Adrien laughed.

* * *

Adrien made his way through the party, searching for the refreshments table in hopes of something loaded with carbs and calories. But just as he spotted the table, he ran into something. Rather, a someone.

"Oh I'm so sorry," Adrien cried out, steadying the person about to topple over.

"O-Oh, A-Adrien," Marinette stammered, "You're here!"

Adrien smiled at Marinette and looked down at her outfit. Just as he told his lady, Marinette certainly out dressed them all. However, his eyes widened when he connected the dots.

She was wearing a dress that was designed after Chat Noir.

As in, designed after _him._

"You look nice, Marinette," he said, internally flattered that he was the inspiration for such a beautiful dress.

Marinette's face turned a lovely shade of pink, "Oh yeah, I-uh-drew influences of Chat N-Noir for my sign-DESIGN, design I mean."

Adrien chuckled at his friend. "Chat Noir _is_ pretty awesome," he said, "but you can't beat Ladybug."

To Adrien's surprise, Marinette lost all traces of shyness, and her eyes flashed. "Well, where would Ladybug be without Chat Noir, he _does_ have her back at all times," she huffed and Adrien felt a warmth seep up his neck. The fact that Marinette was so quick to defend Chat Noir was utterly endearing.

"That's true, I suppose," Adrien said smugly, trying to keep his demeanor innocent, "Anyways, I was off to the food table, if you want to come with me."

"I love you-NO-I mean-I'D LOVE TO!" Marinette practically screamed, and her hand flew to her mouth.

"Okay," Adrien said, slightly alarmed and confused, but nevertheless led his classmate to the table of treats.

"My parent's and I baked all sorts of treats for Nino as a birthday gift," Marinette smiled, taking obvious pride in her family, "We made everything from croissants, to macaroons, to cheesecake."

Adrien's mouth watered as he gazed at the impressive display in front of him. Something caught his eye. "What are those?" Adrien asked curiously. Marinette blinked at him and then burst into giggles.

"Those are éclairs, we use choux dough to make the pastry, and fill it with our signature heavy crème. And that's chocolate coated on top," Marinette explained, reached down, and handed Adrien the biggest one he could find. However, the éclairs were all pretty uniform in shape and size. Adrien's fingers brushed hers, and Marinette let out a quiet squeak.

Placing the éclair in his mouth, Adrien let out a moan of appreciation as his head lolled back, "This is phenomenal, Marinette. I can't believe that I've never had one before."

"T-Thanks, Adrien! I-er-yeah…" Marinette laughed nervously.

"No really, this is great," Adrien looked her in the eyes and smiled sincerely.

And with that, Adrien's evening at the party began.

* * *

 _ **Ta-da!**_

 _ **I'll see you next time, with (hopefully) a bit more drama.**_

 _ **So...**_

 _ **Yeah.**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hi guys,**_

 _ **Next chapter is up! I actually have quite a bit planned for this story. I'm setting this up for another party, which is where your suggestions (the one's I've received so far) are going to fit in. As always, I'm super excited to hear your opinion, and suggestions are welcome. And also appreciated. So if you'd like, please PLEASE PLEASE let me know what you'd like to see in this story. It's fun for me to work things in.**_

 _ **Anywho, enjoy!**_

* * *

Marinette smiled at herself. While she had totally and completely made an utter fool of herself, but she had to admit, it wasn't her worst encounter with Adrien. She giggled like a madwoman as she floated past the shooting games, skipped through the racing games, and danced in circles around the air hockey. _I talked to Adrien! I talked to Adrien! I talked to-_ Marinette's thoughts came to a halt as she ran into someone, tripped over her own feet, and face planted into the neon, glow in-the-dark, blue carpet.

"Oh, Marinette, are you okay?" a polite voice asked as the person she had bumped into bent down and offered her a hand.

Marinette blinked, and pushed herself up to her knees. She looked up and with a shock; she registered the person as Lila. "Thanks, Lila," Marinette said hesitantly, but gratefully. "I'm probably the clumsiest person I know. But it was so very nice for you to be concerned," she smiled and took Lila's hand.

"Yeah," Lila smiled in return, and pulled Marinette to her feet. "Hey Marinette?"

"Yeah?" Marinette said, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

"Do you-would you like to be friends? I don't really have many, especially after be made a fool of in front of Adrien." Lila said nervously.

Marinette's eyes widened. Her stomach churned, thinking about how _she_ was the reason that Lila was short on friends. _I did tell her that I overreacted AND I apologized, but I still feel terrible._

"Of course, Lila," Marinette touched Lila's shoulder. Marinette figured that if she became friends with Lila, than maybe she could overtime repair the damage that she as Ladybug had made. _Because_ , Marinette thought, _no one should have that much resentment in their live, EVEN if Lila adores Adrien. And NOT just because of Akumas._

Lila wrapped her arms tightly around Marinette's shoulders, and Marinette let out a squeak. "Thank you, Marinette," Lila grinned into Marinette's ear.

"No problem, Lila," Marinette sighed in relief.

* * *

Hours had passed, and Nino's party had come to a close. Marinette hugged Alya goodbye, after beating her in almost every single videogame at the arcade.

"Love you, girl," Alya said, and skipped off down the sidewalk in pursuit of Nino's retreating form.

Marinette smiled at her friend and turned to leave herself, when Adrien called out to her.

"Hey Marinette," Adrien said, jogging over to her.

"Uh-Hi Adrien!" Marinette stammered, spinning around.

"Hey listen," Adrien stood right in front her, "there is a gala for the launch of my father's new collection, _The Lady and the Noir_ -it's based off of Ladybug and Chat Noir, and I was wondering if you wanted to come? My father said I could bring a friend, and maybe if you came, you could design something Ladybug inspired to wear? I think you could really impress my father with your work," Adrien said, with a hopeful expression on his face.

"R-Really?! I would LOVE to! That would be-oh my-that would be wonderful! I-I don't know what say to-TO SAY!" Marinette spluttered, a mess of emotions, ranging from disbelief to excitement.

Adrien laughed at his classmate, and patted her shoulder "I'll text you the information. Can I have your number?

Marinette's heart skipped a beat.

Butterflies-not Akumas-filled her stomach.

 _Adrien Agreste asked for my number,_ Marinette's mind shut down, and she nodded her head vigorously.

Adrien smiled, and pulled his hone out of his leather jacket's pocket. "Here," he handed her his phone. Marinette looked down at the screen, and found it locked. Of course, if Adrien hadn't changed the password, she could have unlocked it herself.

"Uh, it's locked. And I don't know the password-why would I-I mean…" Marinette trailed off, crossing her arms awkwardly.

"Oh right," Adrien took back is phone, and quickly typed in his password.

Marinette added a new contact, added her number, and took a selfie for her photo ID.

"H-Here you go," Marinette smiled.

"I'll see you later, Marinette," Adrien grinned and waved as he walked off.

Checking that she was absolutely alone, she cried out, "OH MY GOSH, TIKKI! Can you believe it? Adrien asked for my _number_!" Marinette spun around in circles as Tikki flew out of Marinette's purse.

"Way to go, Marinette!" Tikki squealed, and danced along with her.

"This. Is. The. Best. Day. Ever!" Marinette laughed, catching her balance on a nearby streetlamp. "I'd better get started on my design! You heard Adrien, something…something…" her face fell as she realized that she would have to use _herself_ as inspiration.

"I know you'll figure it out, you're really smart after all!" Tikki chirped encouragingly.

"Thanks, Tikki. I'm sure I will," Marinette said, and began to solve the problem of dressing with influences of Ladybug, and not giving away her secret.

"It will be tough, but there has to be a way," she said, determined.

And with that, Marinette strolled down the streets of Paris, and to her home.

"Um, Marinette?" Tikki said, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Marinette screamed, and cried out, "TIKKI, SPOTS ON!"

* * *

 _ **Yay.**_

 _ **On to the next chapter.**_

 _ **Ummm... Maybe you could review? Yes/no/maybe so?**_

 _ **It would really help with morale.**_

 _ **Which would be good.**_

 _ **Please?**_ _ **...Yay.**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hi guys,**_

 _ **So I made another mistake AND I feel really bad, so I went back and made it work. However, I think it was a pleasant mistake, because as a result, this chapter popped into my head as a form of damage control. And this one's pretty good, or at least I think it is. I was considering finding a Beta, but I write so quickly, that I'd need to find one who can edit everyday, which seems unlikely. But yeah.**_

 _ **Anywho, I hope you like this chapter!**_

* * *

Adrien smiled to himself. It felt nice to make someone smile, especially if it was Marinette, who to up to this point probably didn't want anything to do with him. He climbed the last of the stairs, and stepped onto the roof. The roof was completely empty.

"Ladybug? Are you there? I'm sorry that I'm a bit late…" Adrien called out, when he heard a scream in the distance, followed by a _Tikki, spots on!_

Adrien chuckled to himself, _That must be Ladybug_. His lady never let anyone down, even if she was a bit late sometimes. It was only moments later when Adrien turned around, and saw Ladybug, albeit slightly out of breath, standing on the roof behind him.

"I'm…sorry…that…I'm…late," Ladybug gasped out in between heaving breaths. Her hands rested on her knees and she winced slightly.

"Don't worry about it," Adrien smiled and offered Ladybug a hand.

Ladybug looked up, and grinned. "Thanks, I got caught up with…with official superhero stuff! That's right!"

Adrien raised his eyebrows. "Is everything alright?"

"Oh definitely," Ladybug said, leaned up against, well nothing, and toppled over. She let out a strangled noise, and Adrien darted out to catch her.

"Are you alright? You don't seem to be feeling well. Maybe we should walk back to my house, and you could give me a lift up to my window," Adrien said, more of a statement than a question.

Ladybug looked at him for a moment, and then nodded her head. "Alright, thanks Adrien."

* * *

Adrien was having the best evening of his life. First, he got to go to Nino's party and then he got to spend time with his lady, in a casual environment. The walked down the Parisian sidewalks, and admired the beauty of the Paris skyline against the setting sun. It was definitely longer to walk back, but the walk would have only been twenty minutes, if Adrien hadn't come up with everything he could to elongate their time together. They had gotten hot chocolate, tried on Italian masks from a vendor, and flipped pennies into a wishing fountain. Of course, many people recognized them, but everyone who did gave a small smile, and continued on their way.

 _Ladybug's laugh is the most beautiful sound in the world_ , Adrien decided. He looked over at his lady and smiled. The sunset cast a glow on Ladybug's face, illuminating her bluebell eyes, and accentuating her adorable freckles. Adrien sighed happily, and turned his gaze back to the direction that they were walking in. They turned the corner, just a few blocks away from his house, when Ladybug stopped.

"That was fun, Adrien," Ladybug smiled, "it's nice to get a break, from both my civilian life AND my superhero life."

"Anytime, Ladybug," Adrien laughed nervously, "we should do this more often."

"Sure, maybe I'll swing by your photo shoot tomorrow"

Adrien's heart skipped a beat.

"U-Uh yeah! That would be…that would be fantastic! I would...that's great!" Adrien grinned.

"Alright, then," Ladybug said, "It's settled."

They continued on in comfortable silence, occasionally glancing at each other when they thought the other person wasn't looking, and smiling when they caught the other person glancing.

Adrien was in such a daze, that he didn't realize that they were at his house. He sighed, knowing that his break from reality was over, and that he needed to regain the mindset of a placid model. "How will you know where it is?"

"I'm pretty sure that if I follow the sound of teenage girls squealing, I'll be able to find you," Ladybug joked, lightly punching Adrien in the arm. Adrien smiled at that, knowing that it was probably not far from the truth, and said, "I should probably get back to my room."

"Yeah," Ladybug murmured, and wrapped her arm around Adrien's waist. Adrien blushed slightly at their close proximity, and Ladybug launched her yoyo.

* * *

Adrien watched Ladybug swing off into the sunset, and once he was sure that she was gone, he let out a mad cackle and danced around his room, attempting to stand still, but flailing his arms ecstatically. Clapping his hands, he spun around and flopped onto his bed. Pumping his arm in the air, and kicking his legs, he chanted _yes-yes-yes-YES-YES-YES!_

Plagg rolled his eyes. "Relax, kid. You're going to wake up the dead."

"Ladybug is coming to my shoot," Adrien laughed, but let his limbs drop to his comforter.

"Whoopee. That's great-Now go get me some camembert," Plagg whined but patted Adrien's head affectionately.

"Plagg, you didn't do anything," Adrien chided.

"Well, if I had allowed you to transform, Ladybug wouldn't have had to give you a lift."

Adrien thought that that was a valid point, "JUST because I'm in such a good mood, I'll go get you a slice of that stinky cheese you appreciate more than me."

"Aww, you know me so well," Plagg purred annoyingly.

"Yeah, yeah," Adrien huffed as he got up. Leaving his room, he made his way down to the kitchen. Making sure no one would see him-not that there were many people to see him in the first place-Adrien snuck into the kitchen and grabbed a wedge of camembert.

Just as he was about to complete his journey, Nathalie walked out from the living room.

"Ah, Adrien," she said seriously, "I was just going to check on you. You were very quiet, and I was beginning to think that you had managed to sneak out again."

"What? No-of course not!" Adrien said, putting on a front of being hurt, "I was in the shower."

"For three hours?" Nathalie raised her eyebrow.

"You _know_ how I feel about my showers," Adrien said dramatically, but with a stony face, eyebrows furled.

Nathalie nodded, and adjusted he blazer. "I suppose you do take your showers…seriously," she said, obviously uncomfortable.

"Anything else?" Adrien asked.

"No, but be sure to wake up on schedule as to make it to your photoshoot in Cannes on time."

"Will do, Nathalie," Adrien said, with a two fingered salute.

And with that, Adrien ran up the stairs to deliver Plagg his cheese.

* * *

 _ **I really, really hope that there are NO mistakes, but if their are, maybe you could private message me? I'm all for improvement, but at the same time, I feel rather self-conscious when you guys point them out via review...**_

 _ **But PLEASE still point them out.**_

 _ **And review.**_

 _ **And stuff.**_

 _ **Okay, thanks!**_


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